PLOMARI, LESVOS

It was a long but worthwhile journey. A visitor sits at the taverna of the scenic sea-side village, next to the old boatyards. The fishing boats slowly approach the mooring, at the most sheltered place of the port. The boats return from Kalloni Gulf, full to the brim with sardines, cuttlefish, gray mullets and octopuses. It is a great fishing spot. The waters are warm there, and fish love to swim in that sea. Seamen leave the painters loose and, once they’re attached to the bollard, they tighten them to secure them. They bring their catch to the taverna and say to Meropi: “Roast the sardines, bring boiled greens and open up a bottle of Varvayanni”

What does our heart seek after all? Labor. But also rest. Friends, laughter, getting together… And some ouzo. Authentic, good ouzo… that sweeps you on a journey with the aroma of the anise and the other herbs… that will warm your heart with the heat of alcohol and its rich taste. Ouzo with history… that tastes like the past and like future dreams alike. Our heart seeks…

Ouzo Varvayanni!

1860
TODAY

Taste

Five different products, five different ouzo types that can be consumed in various moments and moods. All five of them are 100% distilled with slow processes in small copper stills, they have been produced using excellent quality anise and other raw materials, with the addition of the crystal-clear water of Plomari and of course all of them share the 164-year experience of the Varvayannis family in ouzo distillation. Slowly and patiently, exactly like back in 1860, when Efstathios Varvayannis distilled his first ouzo.

ouzo varvayanni

Blue

Classic

46% vol
ouzo varvayanni

Green

Light

42% vol
ouzo varvayanni

Red

Evzon

47% vol
ouzo varvayanni

Black

Aphrodite

48% vol

DISTILLATION

The mixture of alcohol, anise and aromatic herbs is placed in special stills (cauldrons) where it is carefully distilled, with no sudden temperature rises or drops.

MATURATION

The middle fraction is the perfect distillate of the last phase of the process.

THE RESULT

Five unique distillates that carry the 164-year experience exclusively in ouzo distillation.

Museum

Visit the treasure of Plomari the Ouzo Varvayanni museum and learn everything about the 164-year tradition of the family in the production of ouzo. Today, in the picturesque settlement of Plomari, Lesvos, technology harmoniously co-exists with history and tradition. The Ouzo Liquor Museum was founded to express the love and passion the Varvayannis family has for the production of ouzo.

Ouzo

Museum

The Island

Lesvos is located at the Northeastern Aegean Sea, only five nautical miles away from the Turkish coast. The history of the island is like a colorful tapestry, woven by eastern smells, refugees from Asia Minor, Greek thinkers, poets, scholars and painters, a true palimpsest of places and people. Lesvos is at the crossroads of West and East. It is a big island, the third largest island in Greece, after Crete and Euboea. Our Nobel laureate poet, Odysseas Elytis, imagined Lesvos like a sycamore leaf, which was thrown away in the middle of the Sea by some God, to amuse himself. It is a place where not only civilizations co-exist, but also the Sun and the Moon reign in harmony. Geographically, the most characteristic element of the island are the two semi-enclosed gulfs at the southern part of the island: The biggest one is the Kalloni Gulf, with saltpans on its shores as well as a beautiful wetland, which is a habitat for many aquatic bird species. The smallest of the two is the Gulf of Yera, near Mytilene, the magic and majestic capital of the island. The moonlike landscape at the western part of the island with the fossil forest at Sigri takes one’s breath away. On the other hand, in Northern Lesvos, one can find pine tree forests and green lush vegetation, while on the southern part of the island (where Plomari is located) there are olive trees and the climate is dryer. Besides, olive trees cover at least one fourth of the island while olive oil and olives are among the most famous and popular products of Lesvos, along with cheese, great fish and delicious meat. However, it is ouzo that holds a special place at the heart of every resident and visitor of the island. Lesvos and ouzo Varvayanni are interlinked and complimentary words, since the island produces the most famous, renowned and recognized ouzo in Greece, ouzo Varvayanni from Plomari.